How much of your Social feed did you actually choose?

Varma D Aadi Narayana — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 12:32:19 +0000

*AttentionGuard — See How Algorithms Manipulate Your Feed in Real Time
*
Today I’m sharing an open-source browser extension we built called AttentionGuard.

**Repo:
**https://github.com/agentkites/attentionguard-extension

*What It Is
*
AttentionGuard is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that visualizes how feeds on major platforms are being shaped by different forces.

When you browse supported sites, AttentionGuard tracks different types of content and shows a breakdown of what you’re seeing:

_Ads (sponsored/promoted)
_
_Algorithmic recommendations
_
_Social signals (what friends interacted with)
_
_Organic content from accounts you actually follow
_
All of this is tracked locally in your browser — nothing gets sent to a server. You can click the extension icon to see the manipulation breakdown in real time as you scroll through your feed.

*Why This Exists
*
Social and e-commerce platforms shape what you see using opaque algorithms and monetization systems.
For example:

Platforms show ads and recommendations that you didn’t explicitly choose

Your feed mix can include a lot of algorithmically chosen content versus what you actually follow

Right now there aren’t many tools that let you see this in context as you browse.

AttentionGuard doesn’t block content or enforce behavior change yet — it’s a visibility tool. It makes the invisible mechanics of feeds transparent so you can form your own understanding.

*How It Works
*
Install the extension (Chrome unpacked or Firefox add-on).

Visit a supported platform — the icon will show it’s active.

Browse normally. Stats update in real time.

Open the popup to see your content breakdown.

Supported platforms include Reddit, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Amazon feed pages with basic detection patterns.

*What It Tracks
*
For each supported site, AttentionGuard differentiates:

Ads — paid promotional content

Algorithmic — content chosen by the platform’s recommendation systems

Social — items shown because of friends or engagement context

Organic — content from accounts you intentionally follow

Privacy and Local Use

*The extension runs 100% locally:
*
No account required

No external servers

All stats stored locally (session or persistent)

*Full Wiki:
*

https://github.com/agentkites/attentionguard-extension/wiki

*Contributing
*
We’re actively looking for contributions to:

Add support for more platforms

Improve detection patterns for algorithmic signals

Refine the UI/UX of the breakdown popup

Hardening performance and compatibility

If you don’t see your favorite site supported, there’s a button in the popup to “Request AttentionGuard for this site,” which opens a pre-filled GitHub issue.

*TL;DR
*
AttentionGuard is an open-source extension that reveals how feeds are shaped, giving you a breakdown of content sources while you browse. It doesn’t block or prevent anything yet(future plans) — it helps you understand what you’re actually being shown.

DEV Community: Varma D Aadi Narayana

How much of your Social feed did you actually choose?